MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos on social media flood inquiries with #NasaanAngPangulo and #Fallen44 trends as President Benigno 'PNoy' Aquino III did not attend the arrival of honors on Thursday for the slain cops in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Sunday.

The bodies of the 42 fallen men of the Philippine National Police - Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) arrived at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City while the President has attended an event in Laguna for the inauguration of the new manufacturing plant of Mitsubishi Motors Philippines.

Netizens said the President as the highest official of the country should be there to salute for the fallen cops.

Meanwhile, Deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte explained that PNoy was not originally planned to attend the arrival of honors.

Arrival of honors at the Villamor Air Base on Thursday

"The president will be leading the necrological services to be held in Camp Bagong Diwa on Friday morning," Valte added.

Netizens added that this was not an excuse for PNoy to prioritize other events than the national concern.

PRC named University of Santo Tomas (UST) as the top performing school in the January 2015 Architect Licensure Examination as per Commission Resolution No. 2010-547 series of 2010. UST got 83.42 percent passing rate or 161 out of 193 passed the exam.

The performance of schools in the January 2015 Architect board exam in alphabetical order as per R.A. 8981 otherwise known as PRC Modernization Act of 2000 Section 7(m) "To monitor the performance of schools in licensure examinations and publish the results thereof in a newspaper of national circulation" is as follows:

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) officially released on Thursday the full list of passers for January 2015 architect board exam or the architect licensure examination (ALE). Christian Candolea Reyes of University of Santo Tomas (UST) topped the board with 84.80% grade.

Tarlac State University (TSU) graduate Orlando Pineda Sangalang Jr. ranked second with 84.50 average grade.

A video about snake with legs is now viral online after ABS-CBN's Umagang Kay Ganda (UKG) reported the case on Tuesday.

The snake with apparent foot of a lizard or iguana was captured in Mallig, Isabela inside the house of Gambol family.

Noberto said he's cleaning the house when he noticed the snake on the floor. The snake crawled inside the carton box. Then, they quickly killed it. But he was amazed as he noticed that the snake seems to have a foot.

In the video, neighbors have different beliefs about the snake such as it will bring 'good luck' and the other says it's a sign of 'doomsday'.

MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday officially declared a "National Day of Mourning" on Friday, January 30 to symbolize the sorrow and empathy of the entire country after the bloody encounter which killed 44 policemen in Mamasapano, Maguindanao Sunday morning.

44 cops died in Mamasapano, Maguindanao clash

"As President and as father of this country, I am greatly saddened that our policemen had to lay down their lives for this mission. Without question, these people are heroes; they who willingly put themselves in danger to address threats to our security; they who were wounded; they who gave their lives in the name of peace. To honor those who perished, I am declaring a National Day of Mourning to symbolize the sorrow and empathy of our entire country."

UPDATE: Aquino signed on Wednesday the Proclamation No. 953 s. 2015 declaring January 30 as a national day of mourning. Note: There's no announcement of work or class suspension for Friday.

"The entire nation is requested to offer prayers for the eternal repose of the souls of the victims and for our people to reclaim our sense of humanity. Further, I instruct all public institutions and military installations in the Philippines to lower the Philippines flag to half-mast," Aquino said in a statement.
Aquino on a televised speech from Malacanang Palace has addressed the national concern on the outcome of Philippine National Police’s Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) mission to arrest two notorious terrorists namely Abdulbasit Usman and Zulkipli Bin Hir, alias Abu Marwan.

The NDRRMC has reported to Aquino that aside from 44 policemen who have died in the process of fulfilling their duties, 16 others were injured, including 3 civilians.

PNoy emphasized that Marwan and Usman are not common criminals.

"There is a long string of outstanding warrants for their arrest. There are no less than 8 outstanding warrants against Usman alone, while there are no less than 2 for Marwan. One of the earliest warrants was issued in 2002, which means that they were already being pursued when I was a member of Congress. Allow me to clarify: When a warrant is issued against an individual, all officers of the law are obligated to serve it. This is precisely why, since long ago, our security sector, including the AFP, PNP, and NBI, has undertaken multiple operations to capture Marwan, Usman, and other terrorists."

PNoy also clarified that approval from him for the said mission to proceed is not required.

"These agencies are not always required to obtain my approval for each and every one of their operations, because it would be impractical for them to wait for my clearance before proceeding. My duty: to make certain that they are carrying out their responsibilities. There are times when certain matters are elevated to my desk so that I may give guidance, give a more holistic view of the situation, or explain its wider implications."

"I emphasize: It is stated in Article II, Section 4 of our Constitution that “The primary duty of government is to serve and protect the people.” This is why, when our police force uncovered the precise location of Marwan and Usman, they decided to take action and serve the warrants of the two individuals."

It was past 4 in the morning when the SAF reached the stronghold in which Marwan and Usman were hiding. In the encounter that followed, the primary target, Marwan, was allegedly killed. Upon hearing the gunshots, Usman and his cohorts fought back. There were also non-combatants spotted in the houses in which Marwan and Usman were located; it was necessary for our forces to close the distance to avoid involving the innocent. Marwan’s house was the first attacked; Usman responded, and the element of surprise, which was necessary to avoid detection, was lost. This is why the SAF decided to withdraw and rendezvous with their companions, who were securing their exit route from the area where the encounter occurred. It appears that it was during this withdrawal when the bloodiest part of the clash happened.

PNoy before the end of his speech called out the attention of Filipinos to show a single aspiration for peace and ensure that the ultimate sacrifice made by some members of the SAF does not go to waste.

"We will gain justice, in time, through the right processes, and without letting go of our dreams to realize a widespread and lasting peace."

WATCH: President Aquino's Message to the Nation Delivered on January 28, 2015

MANILA, Philippines - The University of Santo Tomas (UST) on Wednesday morning, January 28, 2015 released official USTET results for Academic Year AY 2015-2016. The Office for Admissions (OFAD) posted the results online thru an inquiry page on its website where takers can view the program they have qualified.

USTET was administered in three batches by OFAD on August 24, September 28 and December 7, 2014 in Manila, 37 official testing centers in Provincial areas and 10 international testing locations.

Note: Make sure to input the applicant number that can be found in your test permit. Do not include the 2015 entry year on it (i. e. 2015-12345 then remove 2015, just type the 12345 in the Applicant Number field.

For concerns re: #USTETResults, you may contact the UST Office for Admissions at (02) 406-1611 local 8276 or (02) 309-7211.
— UST TomasinoWeb (@TomasinoWeb) January 28, 2015

OFAD said they will no longer provide hard copy of the results and will no longer post the list of passers in campus contrary with the previous years.

OFAD further advised that takers may also download and print their results for presentation purposes during the confirmation of enrolment.

Meanwhile, the admission department in advance has posted general instructions and reminders for USTET 2015 Qualifiers.

In determining the list of qualifiers, 40 percent of the applicant’s total score will be based on his/her high school academic performance and the remaining 60 percent will come from USTET results.

UST is one of the best education institutions in the Philippines and the largest Catholic University in the World in terms of student population in a single campus. Also, it has the most number of accredited programs according to PACUCOA.

The 22-year old new title holder said she would wear the crown with "pride and excitement" as she heard the news that fans in Colombia had taken to the streets to celebrate.

The last time Colombia won the crown was in 1958 when Luz Marina Zuluaga scored the title.

Meanwhile, Philippines bet MJ Lastimosa failed to make it to the top 5 of the annual pageant. Filipinos expect her to finally take home the coveted title after the previous representatives did well getting closest to the crown. The 27-year-old beauty from Cotabato made it through to the final 15 and the final 10.

Making it to the top five finalist includes Netherlands, Ukraine and Jamaica.

MANILA, Philippines - The 63rd annual Miss Universe 2014 happens today, January 26, 2015 (Philippine Time) with live telecast from Florida International University in Doral-Miami. Watch on livestream as this year's winner will be crowned by Venezuela's Gabriela Isler.

The winner will actually be crowned Miss Universe 2014 since the pageant was supposed to be held last year but was postponed. The 2015 pageant is to be held later in the year.

Viewers may also witness the most beautiful day in the universe via satellite on ABS-CBN at 10 AM on Monday as the most beautiful woman from 88 different countries around the world vies for the crown of “Miss Universe."

Will the Philippines’ bet Mary Jean Lastimosa finally take home the coveted title? Since 2010, the Philippines has been part of the top five with Venus Raj finishing 4th runner up in the said year, Shamcey Supsup and Ariella Arida clinching 3rd runner up in 2011 and 2013, and Janine Tugonon getting closest to the crown when she finished 1st runner up to 2012 Miss Universe Olivia Culpo.

This year, Filipino fans are hopeful that MJ will become the third Filipina Miss Universe in history being one of the crowd favorites this early in the competition.

Many pageant sites predicted that MJ will make it to the Top 5. The 27 year old beauty from South Cotabato was also well received during the preliminary judging on Wednesday.

WATCH: 63rd Annual Miss Universe 2014 Preliminary Competition

LIVESTREAM: Miss Universe 2014 (to be embedded here once available, check back for the update)

In the end, MJ’s fate lies in the hands of the panel of judges composed of Kristin Cavallari, Lisa Vanderpump, Louise Roe, William Levy, and the Philippines’ very own boxing champ Manny Pacquiao.

The pageant night will be hosted by “Today’s” Natalie Morales and MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts. International recording artist Nick Jonas and breakthrough Latin superstar Prince Royce are also slated to perform.

MANILA, Philippines - Four artists were eliminated on the first Live Shows of 'The Voice of the Philippines' Season 2 in the results night held on Sunday, January 25, 2015 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila in Pasay City.

Just like in the first season, the artist from each team who gets the highest percentage of votes will be the first to move on in the competition (Public's Choice). The coach will then have to choose who between his or her two remaining artists gets to stay and gets eliminated.

Team Sarah's Darren Espanto from the first season of The Voice Kids performed "Iisang Bangka" of The Dawn. It was followed by Arnel Pineda singing "Salamat", a song also from The Dawn. Pineda was accompanied after by Espanto and the 12 artists who performed for the first week.

Prior to the announcement of the results, the Team Lea and Team apl artists who did not performed this week sang Adam Levine's hits such as "Lost Stars", "She Will Be Loved", and "This Love". Team Bamboo and Team Sarah artists who did not performed this week sang Juan dela Cruz Band's "Beep Beep" and Siakol's "Laklak".

The episode of Live Shows on Sunday tops online conversations with '#LiveShowsPH', 'Ferns' and 'Lea' among the trending topics.

Don’t miss the continuation of the Live Shows in “The Voice of the Philippines” Season 2 on Saturday (January 31) at 8:45PM and Sunday (February 1) at 8:30 PM on ABS-CBN.

Those waiting results of January 2015 Architect Licensure Examination (ALE) or architecture board exam may find here results as the Professional Regulation Commissin (PRC) and the Board of Architecture announced results in 4 working days after the exam. The complete list of passers, top 10 (topnotchers), top performing schools and performance of schools are available here as officially released online.

The PRC on Thursday, January 29, 2015 announced that 867 out of 1,428 passed the Architect Licensure Examination (ALE).

Architect board exam was conducted in Manila, Cebu and Legaspi on Friday and Sunday, January 23 and 25, 2015. The Board of Architecture is composed of it’s Chairman, Arch. Rolando L. Cordero with two other members, Arch. Yolanda D. Reyes and Arch. Fidel Jose R. Siapno.

Registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate of Registration will be on February 5, 6 & 9, 2015. Those who will register are required to bring the following: duly accomplished Oath Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal, current Community Tax Certificate (cedula), 1 piece passport size picture (colored with white background and complete name tag), 2 sets of metered documentary stamps and 1 short brown envelope with name and profession and to pay the Initial Registration Fee of P600 and Annual Registration Fee of P450 for 2015-2018. Successful examinees should personally register and sign in the Roster of Registered Professionals.

The date and venue for the mass oathtaking of the successful examinees in the said licensure examination WILL BE ANNOUNCED LATER, PRC said.

The first architecture exam this 2015 covers the following subjects: history and theory of architecture, principles of planning, architecture practice, utilities systems, structural conceptualization, building materials and construction (January 23) and architectural design and site planning (January 25).

In January 2014, PRC announced ALE results in 5 (five) working days after the test. 793 out of 1,442 passed the Architect Licensure Examination. Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT)-Manila was named the top performing school for having 82.00% passing rate.

In June 2014 exams, results were released in four (4) working days after the last day of examination. 1,100 out of 1,803 successfully hurdled the test. University of San Carlos (USC) and University of Santo Tomas (UST) were named as the top performign schools, 90.00 and 81.89% respectively.

We advise you to subscribe to our E-Mail list, Follow Us on Twitter or Like Us on Facebook for more updates.

MANILA, Philippines - The top-rating and Twitter-trending singing competition 'The Voice of the Philippines' on Saturday, January 24, 2015 aired its first Live Shows, with the Top 6 artists of each team looking ahead to the grand finals.

The Live Shows was held at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, a theater with a 1,500 audience capacity, at Resorts World Manila in Pasay City. It was the second time that this stage of the competition be held in the said venue.

Representing their teams in the Live Shows on Saturday are Daryl Ong, Ferns Tosco, and Suy Galvez for Team Apl; Poppert Bernadas, Monique Lualhati, and Jason Fernandez for Team Sarah; Rita Martinez, Kai Honasan, and Karlo Mojica for Team Bamboo; and Nino Alejandro, Abbey Pineda, and Leah Patricio for Team Lea.

Same with the previous seasons, viewers are added to the competition equation as they vote for their favorite artists.

The voting has opened after the performances of the 12 artists and will close during Sunday’s Live Shows. Just like in the first season, the artist from each team who gets the highest percentage of votes will be the first to move on in the competition. The coach will then have to choose who between his or her two remaining artists gets to stay and gets eliminated.

To support your artist, text VOICE (name of artist) and send to 2331 for ABS-CBN Mobile, Globe, TM and Sun Cellular subscribers and 231 for Smart and Talk 'N Text subscribers. The tariff is P1.00/vote for ABS-CBN Mobile, P2.50/vote for Globe, TM, Smart and Talk 'N text and P2.00/vote for Sun Cellular subscribers.

Who will be saved by the viewing public? Which artists will be sent home by their coaches? Check out the results tomorrow (January 25).

Meanwhile, here are the videos of performance of the 12 artists (to be updated once available online courtesy of ABS-CBN):

Team Sarah:

Poppert Bernadas: "I Feel Good"

Monique Lualhati: "Maging Sino Ka Man"

Jason Fernandez: "Hanggang"

Team Apl:

Ferns Tosco: "It's A Heartache"

Daryl Ong: "Let's Stay Together"

Suy Galvez: "I Won't Give Up"

Team Bamboo:

Rita Martinez: "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

Kai Honasan: "Blank Space"

Karlo Mojica: "Footlose"

Team Lea:

Nino Alejandro: "Nakapagtataka"

Leah Patricio: "Queen of the Night"

Abbey Pineda: "Sana'y Maghintay Ang Walang Hanggan"

High resolution videos can also be accessed through The Voice official website here.

"That's the way we start the second season live shows. That was amazing," coach Lea commented to Poppert as he performed first on Saturday.

"Monique, great, maganda ang choice of song mo," Coach Bamboo said to her.

"[Ang] galing ng versatility mo. I know you are a rocker, but kahit anong ihagis na kanta sa'yo, kaya mo. I mean you sing that song beautifully, and I am impressed with your versatility right now," apl.de.ap told Jason.

MANILA, Philippines - The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced on Thursday the extension of deadline for the filing of application for March 2015 Licensure Exam for Teachers (LET) at the PRC Central Office.

In the memorandum 2015-01 signed by PRC Chairman Florentino C. Doble on January 21, 2015, the commission extends deadline of filing for LET from January 23, 2015 to January 28, 2015, for repeaters and from January 30, 2015 to February 4, 2015 for first time applicants.

PRC said that the extension was due to the interest of the public as many official and non-working holidays were declared in January 2015 (i.e. holidays during the Pope Francis visit) and in response to the clamor of the applicants trying to beat the deadline of filing.

Here's the full copy of PRC memorandum for LET deadline extension:

The first LET this year will be conducted on Sunday, March 29 in Manila, Zamboanga and other regional offices. PRC target release date of LET results is on May 15 or after 47 calendar days.

TheSummitExpress in partnership with PRCBoardNews.com will deliver on-time and important updates and results for the 2015 LET.

MANILA, Philippines - Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago is not only a feisty and brilliant woman but also a comedian as she can whip up spot on jokes and commentaries that will make readers laugh and realize real-life scenarios each time they flip the page.

Here are 10 striking quotes from Senator Santiago's bestselling hit, “Stupid is Forever” published by ABS-CBN Publishing, Inc. which has sold over 110,000 copies since its launch in December, making it the fastest bestselling book of 2014.

If you don’t have a copy yet, here’s a preview of what you can expect from her phenomenal book:

ON MARRIAGE
3. "Five tips for a happy man's life: Have a girl to help you at work, have a girl to take care of you and love you, have a girl who can make you laugh, have a girl who spoils you and lastly and most importantly, siguraduhin na hindi magkakakilala and apat na babaeng iyon."

4. "Excuse me, I'm not a blushing bride. I'm a veteran bride."

ON PHILIPPINE POLITICS
5. In a corrupt country, if you want to succeed in politics, you must keep your conscience under control."

6. "All professionals in our country need to pass the government exam. Only a politician does not need any kind of preparation to practice."

7. "I have realized why corrupt politicians do nothing to improve the quality of public school education. They are terrified of educated voters."

ON DIFFICULT CHALLENGES IN LIFE
10. "I went to see a pulmonologist and then she said, "I'm sorry, but you have cancer,' and I said, 'Yes!' because I wanted a challenge in my life."

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s “Stupid is Forever,” a collection of her memorable punch lines, jokes, and one-liners also features illustrations of the country’s top young illustrators Cj de Silva-Ong, Manix Abrera, Elbert Or, Rob Cham and many more.

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on Friday, January 23, 2015 announced that 15,292 out of 26,690 passed the Nurse Licensure Examination (NLE) given by the Board of Nursing in the cities of Manila, Baguio City, Laoag, Angeles, Cabanatuan, Cebu, Dagupan, Davao, Iloilo, Legazpi, Lucena, Pagadian, Tacloban, Tuguegarao, Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro (CDO) and Bacolod last November 29-30, 2014.

PRC named Remedios T. Romualdez Medical Foundation, Saint Paul University- Iloilo, Saint Paul University-Tuguegarao and Xavier University as the top performing schools in the November 2014 NLE or nursing board exam as per Commission Resolution No. 2010-547 series of 2010: WITH 50 OR MORE EXAMINEES AND WITH AT LEAST 80% PASSING PERCENTAGE.

The performance of schools in the November 2014 nursing board exam in alphabetical order as per R.A. 8981 otherwise known as PRC Modernization Act of 2000 Section 7(m) "To monitor the performance of schools in licensure examinations and publish the results thereof in a newspaper of national circulation" is as follows:

MANILA, Philippines - The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) officially released the November 2014 Nursing board exam (NLE) results on Friday, January 23, 2015. A total of 15,292 out of 26,690 hurdled the NLE given on November 29-30, 2014. The complete list of passers in alphabetical order (P-Z) is now available online.

The results of examination with respect to five (5) examinees were withheld pending final determination of their liabilities under the rules and regulations governing licensure examination.

Pursuant to Section 16, of Republic Act No. 9173, “all successful candidates in the examination shall be required to take an oath of professional before the Board or any government official authorized to administer oaths prior to entering upon the nursing practice”.

Registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate of Registration will be announced later. Those who will register are required to bring the following: duly accomplished Oath Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal, current Community Tax Certificate (cedula), 1 piece passport size picture (colored with white background and complete name tag), 2 sets of metered documentary stamps and 1 short brown envelope with name and profession and to pay the Initial Registration Fee of P600 and Annual Registration Fee of P450 for 2014-2017. Successful examinees should personally register and sign in the Roster of Registered Professionals.